Kailroad-cab



Car Seat.

Patented June '19, 1855.

IINITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. COCKE, OF BREMO, VIRGINIA.

RAILROAD-CAR SEAT.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 13,079; dated June 19, 1855.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. COOKE, of Bremo, in the county of Fluvannaand State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Reclining Backs for Railroad-Car and other Seats, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing, which makes part of this specification, andin which Figure 1 represents a view in perspective, of a rail road carseat with my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a verticalsection at the line a" 00 of Fig. 1, the black lines showing the backerect, the red lines showing it reclined, and the blue showing it turnedover to the opposite side of the seat; Fig. 3 represents the radius barof the back detached; Fig. at represents the slotted guide platedetached; Fig. 5, represents the spring catch, which holds the arm ofthe back in the center of the end frame when the back is erect or beingturned from side to side of the seat, and Fig. 6 represents the armdetached to show the cavities in which the spring and slotted plates areplaced.

The seat represented in the drawing consists of two end frames (A) whichare connected by a seat (B) and a foot board (C). The lower extremity ofeach end frame forms the legs of the seat, while its upper portion formsa rest for the arms of the occupant. The seat is concave on its uppersurface, so that on whatever side the feet of the occupant may beplaced, he will be in no danger of slipping forward, off the seat, whileleaning back.

The back (D) of the seat is made to turn over between the end frames, sothat the occupant may sit with his face toward either end of the car;This back may also be placed in either an erect or an inclined position,as may best suit the convenience of the person occupying the seat. Theback is connected to the end frames, by arms (E) projecting from it, andthe lower edge of the back rests in a groove (F) on the edge of theseat, in which groove, the back turns as if on a hinge, to move it fromthe upright position shown by the black lines in Fig. 2, to the inclinedposition, represented by the red lines. While the back is being thusturned, the arms in common with the other parts of the hack describe thearc of a circle. The radius of the curve in which the arms turn, is thedistance in a straight line from the groove to the part of the arm whoseradius is required.

On the front extremity of each arm, a pin (G) is affixed which projectsoutward. These pins work in slots (H) in plates (I) secured to the innerside of the end frames. These slots coincide in position with twointersecting curves which meet in the middle of the end frame, and aredescribed from the bottom of the groove on which the back hinges as acenter, the radius of curvature being the distance from this center tothe lateral pins (G). The center of one curve is the groove on one sideof the seat, and the center of the other, the groove on the oppositeside of the seat. The pins (G) on each arm extend some distance throughthe plate (I) so that when brought opposite the point where the twogrooves intersect, a hole (K) in the spring (L) in the bottom of thegroove will slip over them, and confine them therein, to hold the backin an erect position, or allow it to be turned from side to side of theseat.

When it is required to recline the back, the spring catch is forced offthe pins (G) by pressing outward the thumb pieces (Z) which projectfro-m the spring to the side or bottom of the upper part of the frame,thus releasing the arms and allowing the pins to move along to the outerends of the grooves, (II) where they are arrested, and hold the back inthe reclined position shown in Fig. 2, by the red lines. The onlyaddition to the ordinary chair, required to give these movements to theback, is the slotted plate (I) the catch spring (L) and the grooves (F)on the edges of the seat for the back to hinge on, so that any car seatcan be readily and cheaply altered to present the convenience of aninclined back.

The whole of the mechanism is so simple in character, that it will notbe liable to get out of order.

If the back should be originally made too narrow to afford a comfortablesupport for the head in reclining, a separate portable head piece may beattached, but as such a portable head piece is well known, and resemblesthat with which barbers and dentists chairs are provided, I do not deema particular description of this appendage to my seat, necessary.

The seat is provided with a turning foot board, so that in a railroadcar the foot board of one seat will support the feet of the occupant ofthe adjacent seat.

I do not claim a back capable of turning from one side ofa seat to theother nor a back capable of being placed in an erect or inclinedposition, but

What I do claim isl. A back possessing all these properties, constructedwith a rigid arm, the guide pins of which turn in a curved slot providedwith a catch, While the back hinges upon the support for its lower edgesubstantially as herein set forth.

2. In combination with a reclining reversible back, I claim a concaveseat, so that 20 persons occupying the seat will not be liable JOHN H.COCKE.

Witnesses:

F. G. FONTAINE, P. H. I/VATsoN.

